Trenton’s prodigal son returns! I was so excited to be able to write about George Antheil again. Antheil, if you don’t know, was the greatest composer ever to emerge from New Jersey’s capital city.
The self-proclaimed “Bad Boy of Music” (the title of his autobiography), Antheil would practice the piano with such ferocity that he would have to pause periodically to soak his hands in two fish bowls. During his recitals, he would ostentatiously remove a pistol from a silk holster sewn into his jacket and place it atop the piano, to let the audience know up front that he would brook no nonsense.
Of course, he had good reason. His “Ballet Mécanique,” scored for player pianos, airplane propellers, siren and electric bells, inspired one of classical music’s great riots at its Paris premiere in 1926.
This weekend, the New Jersey Capital Philharmonic Orchestra will present a substantial suite from Antheil’s ballet, “Capital of the World,” on a concert which will also feature works on Spanish themes by Emmanuel Chabrier, Maurice Ravel and Manuel de Falla.
Based on the short story by Ernest Hemingway, “Capital of the World” tells of a young waiter who dreams of becoming a matador. Unfortunately, some spirited horseplay leads to tragic results.
Just don’t go into it expecting Antheil the enfant terrible. By the Second World War, his music had taken a turn toward the kind of populism embraced by many American composers of mid-century. Also, he had entered into a sideline of writing for film (“The Pride and the Passion,” also with a Spanish setting, was one of the projects he scored).
The ballet features a prominent part for flamenco dancer. Liliana Ruiz will be the soloist in tomorrow night’s performance. The concert will take place at the Trenton War Memorial, beginning at 8 p.m.
You can read more about it in my article in today’s Trenton Times:
http://www.nj.com/times-entertainment/index.ssf/2015/05/classical_music_nj_capital_phi_1.html
If you missed it, here’s a write-up of an Antheil walking-and-driving tour I took, back in 2013:
http://www.nj.com/times-entertainment/index.ssf/2013/08/early_life_in_trenton_left_mar.html
PHOTO: The Original Trenton Cracker